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Bowen, Thomas Hopkins (1850–1896)

The death is announced this morning of Mr. Thomas Hopkins Bowen, which occurred at his residence, Mill-terrace, North Adelaide, on Tuesday afternoon as the result of an attack of hemorrhage of the brain which set in last Friday. Mr. Bowen, who was 45 years of age, was a son of the late Mr. Robert George Bowen, a builder and contractor in the early days of Adelaide, who established the business afterwards undertaken by Messrs. English & Brown, and later on took up the calling of a corn merchant, in which he was succeeded by the Hon. John Darling. The subject of this notice was a native of South Australia, and was educated at the late Mr. J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institution. After leaving school he entered the Civil Service, and was for some years a draughtsman in the Survey Office, being regarded as a very clever man in his profession. When, in the early seventies, when pastoral land was being cut up for agricultural areas, the tax on the officers of the department was very severe, and Mr. Bowen's health was so seriously affected that he took leave of absence, and after a visit to England resigned from the service. He then joined Messrs. A. G. Beresford and A. B. Black, architects, surveyors, and land agents. Upon the dissolution of this firm Mr. Bowen acted for some time prior to the death of the Hon. W. Duffield, one of whose daughters he married, as one of his attorneys in conducting the extensive business and pastoral affairs in which that gentleman was engaged. Since Mr. Duffield's death Mr. D. Walter Duffield, Lieutenant Colonel F. Makin, and Mr. Bowen had acted as the trustees and managers of the estate. In 1892 Mr Bowen, who had for some time been a widower, was married in England to the elder daughter of the late Rev. Charles Stuart Perry, formerly rector of St. Jude's Church, Carlton, Melbourne. Mr. Bowen took a deep interest in all charitable matters, and his labors as secretary of the Samaritan fund in connection with the Adelaide Hospital will long be remembered by those to whom he was able, to render assistance. He was an active worker in religious circles, and was one the churchwardens of Christ Church, North Adelaide. He was also much interested in artistic and musical studies. He was a member of the Easel Club, and was at one time secretary of the Philharmonic Society. At the time of his death he was a member of the council of the South Australian branch of the Royal Geographical Society. He leaves a widow and one daughter, one brother, Mr Henry Bowen, of the firm of Giles & Smith, and three sisters, Mrs. Fred. W. Bullock, Mrs. R. Kyffin Thomas, and Mrs. George Sutherland. The funeral will take place at the North-road Cemetery to-morrow afternoon.